The Houlton High School cheerleaders finished fourth in the State Cheerleading Competition held Feb. 8 at the Augusta Civic Center.
The Houlton cheerleaders performed their routine to 80s music with a theme of “Sweet Dreams are Made of This.”
“The judges said we had a great theme,” said co-coach Michelle Sullivan. “Our dance had good visuals and we scored well on our incorporation of tumbling”
“We had a clean routine,” added co-coach Renae Foley. “Our motion technique got great scores and so did showmanship/overall appeal. Both of those scores improved over last competition.”
The Houlton cheerleaders scored a total of 107.2 points, only 10 points behind first-place Central of East Corinth (117.3 with a five-point deduction) and second-place Lisbon (111.6) and third-place Madison (110.2).
Cheering for the Houlton squad are: freshmen, Hannah Jacobs, Chloe Davis, Lexi Fore, Sarah Delano, Taylor Reed, Hannah Foley, Megan McLaughlin, Tessa Roshto, Medinah Diane, Rachel Toupin and MacKenzie Hunt; sophomores, Abby Fore, Katie Knights, and Taylor Barnes; juniors, Hayley Flewelling, Morgan Wotton, Jackie Condon, Jennah Rand, Autumn London and Caleigh Sullivan; and seniors, Jessica Thorne and Emily Dee. The team is managed by freshman Jennah Blake.
“We will miss the two seniors,” agreed Sullivan and Foley. “They have contributed a great deal to the team this year. We will miss their experience and athleticism.”
Dee was a flyer for the team, who provided advanced cheering ability and strength and Thorne concentrated on her side of the base position to hold stunts and the pyramid together.
As far as next year, the cheering season looks to be promising.
“We are looking forward to picking up where we left off since we are only losing two people,” said the first-year coaches. “We now know what it takes to have a winning team.”
